Darius had a major breakthrough at age 8, when Brown-Shearz was in cosmetology school and making hair ribbons for little girls.
“With his fine motor skills, he wasn’t able to really use his hands well — tying a shoe was challenging,” she told TODAY. “My mother and I came up with the idea that if he helped us with things like prepping the ribbon, or cutting it, and sewing fabric together, it would help him. And it did — it worked!”
Darius started fashioning bow ties and wearing them every day. People would stop him on the street and ask where they could buy one. So he started the custom bow tie company Beaux & Paws to make bow ties for people and their pets .“I wear bow ties all the time,” Darius said. “Literally everywhere I go, I wear a bow tie.”Like many Americans, Darius was deeply affected by the devastation wreaked by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. When he learned about displaced dogs and cats flooding shelters — and that they would be euthanized if they weren’t adopted — he knew he needed to do something.Darius started by donating bow ties to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then, he’s donated hundreds of ties to shelters across the country and is fundraising in order to donate even more.Check for Fleas By Giving Your Dog the White Towel Test. Do you think you dog has fleas? Have them lay on a white towel while you examine & brush their fur. The sheet makes it easy to see any loose flea dirt that falls from your dog.
When people purchase ties from Beaux & Paws, it helps him purchase materials for bow ties he will donate — plus, he donates a portion of every sale to the ASPCA. Good Samaritans have started donating fabric and supplies to Darius as well.
“The donations help a lot because we were just digging in our pockets, buying the fabric ourselves,” his mother told TODAY.
Darius has won numerous awards for his efforts to help homeless pets and even received a personal letter from former President Barack Obama commending him for his work. (“That was just overwhelming!” Darius enthused.)Use Baking Soda to Clean up Pet Urine. If your dog pees on the carpet use baking soda (which is also great at removing odors) to clean it up. Pour some baking soda over the spot, let it sit for 20 minutes and then vacuum it up.
Now, he’s fundraising to increase bow tie production and for travel this summer to at least five different states and as many shelters as he can to personally donate bow ties and help with adoption events.
His mom couldn’t be prouder. Though online trolls can post mean-spirited messages on social media – “Sir” Darius Brown has more than 45,500 Instagram followers — her son doesn’t let it deter him.“We’re definitely very proud of Darius. He’s overcome a lot and he’s still on his journey of overcoming a lot of things,” Brown said. “He just keeps going for what he believes in.”
Darius is incredibly grateful for his family.
“Mom is very supportive and she always sacrifices for me. And my sister, she sacrificed two years of her college so that she could help my mother because my mother is a single mother and my sister knew it was going to be hard for her,” he said. “I just owe everything to my sister and my mom.”